Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death not only revealed that all that glitters is not gold, but also shed light on the mental health struggles celebrities often face. At the same time, it exposed the lonely and exhausting battles that outsiders without a support system or godfathers must tackle in the film world as well. Commenting on the precarious state Bollywood is currently in, composer-singer Amaal Mallik recently remarked that even the general public has come to realise how dark and toxic the film industry is. He also pointed out that the emotional connection audiences once felt with Bollywood has significantly faded.
Pointing out that the industry is now surviving primarily on experimentation and a trial-and-error approach, Amaal claimed that most aren’t able to do even that properly. Barring filmmakers like Imtiaz Ali, Sandeep Reddy Vanga, Anees Bazmee, Anurag Basu, Anurag Kashyap and Zoya Akhtar, he believes very few have the creative vision or courage to try something new and make it work.
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“The larger-than-life shine that Bollywood had is no longer there. It’s missing. The public has understood the realities of this industry and also what kind of a place it is. I can say with certainty that people have lost the emotional connection with the industry as well. People now perceive it as a very dark place,” he noted during a chat with Mirchi Plus.
‘The industry itself did something to Sushant Singh Rajput’s mind and soul’
Reflecting on Sushant Singh Rajput’s tragic death, Amaal Malik added. “Take the case of Sushant Singh Rajput. He could not handle it. Whatever happened to him… some claim that it’s murder, while others say it’s suicide… Whatever it was, he’s gone, right? The industry itself did something to his mind and soul. Maybe people also demoralised him. This industry is that kind of a place.
He continued, “When that incident happened, the sentiment a common person had for Bollywood drifted away. They began saying, ‘screw these guys. They are dirty people.’ My friends who are not connected to Bollywood in any manner started saying that it’s a very bad place. I tell them, ‘Hum toh bachpan se dekh rahein hai (we have been seeing this since our childhood).’ No other incident before it affected the industry as much as Sushant Singh Rajput’s death did. The ones who faced heat after that are totally deserving. They deserve to see this downfall.”
